“Well it’s not so much that I hate jazz, but dinner party music is not where my sound is at. In fact, it’s about as far removed from it as you can get.”
Now, relative newcomer to the recording side of the music biz he may be, but Jason Mercer, the creative force behind Jason Hates Jazz, is certainly not reticent when it comes to dispensing his forthright views on the subject. "Music is really just a metaphor for life and love I think and really needs to be used to express that," Jason asserts. “But instead it seems like there’s been such a flood of mediocre records the last few years – poor songwriting, obvious loops, and uncredited samples. I worry the whole scene is moving in the wrong direction. Maybe it’s the current economics of music," he wonders. "Maybe music isn’t being made by musicians any more, but DJs and computer technicians."
An uncompromising perspective, perhaps, but one laced with more than a hint of mischievous irony – the result of a passionate and protracted love affair with music that stretches back to Jason’s formative years in his native Canada.
Growing up near Toronto, Jason fell in love with dance music at an early age. Inspired by the positive energy and lyrical hooks of disco and early synth pop, he spent untold hours wearing down the grooves on his first records like Robin Scott’s Pop Muzik and the Bee Gees’ Tragedy. It wasn’t until the 80s, however, with the new wave of extended dance mixes coming in from the UK and the arrival of acid house, that his interest in the sound firmly took hold. "Yeah, it was the 12" DJ mixes that were coming out that really fired my imagination," Jason remembers. "For the first time, I could hear all the individual elements that made up a song as the mixes built up and broke down – the percussion, the bassline, the chords, the melody. Early mastermixes by Shep Pettibone really showed me the way forward."
And, as for many people, the way forward involved a heavy-duty commitment to partying. Already an avid clubber by this stage, Jase was increasingly seduced by the more underground sounds and harder beats emanating from Toronto and began promoting club nights to fulfil his musical urges while studying at university. In time-honoured tradition, he then, in a moment of madness, blew a frighteningly large bank loan on samplers, synths and software in a bid to start writing the kind of music he wanted to hear.
The early demos that came about as a result aroused some interest from local and New York based house labels, but Jason felt like he was getting nowhere fast. Feeling the limitations of what was, in Toronto, a relatively small local music scene and eager to pursue his love of music, he made the decision to relocate to London in 1999 and promptly fell headlong into the disco house revolution. "I had been clubbing all over the world for years, but had never really had the experiences like I did in London," Jason reminisces. "Listening to Smokin’ Jo on the dancefloor at DTPM, everything suddenly made sense. It felt like I had come home."
With a day job at dance music and clubbing website, Spaced, Jason strengthened his ties to the industry and came into contact with respected contemporaries such as Alan Thompson and ATFC, who further fuelled his passion for creating music. Spinning on a loaned set of 1210s for six months, he also honed his DJ skills to a fine point, joining the Anyone Collective – a unique group of DJs and VJs – for his first DJ gig at London’s AKA.
Offers of gigs and residencies followed soon afterwards at the polysexual nights, Atelier and Coco Latte, and the newly launched Ease parties, Clerkenwell’s answer to Body & Soul, the latter allowing him to explore the more soulful edge of his sound.
In 2002, Jason went into the studio and completed his first commercial record – Who Wants To Be A Zillionaire? – an epic filtered house number centred around an infectious hook courtesy of 80s faves ABC. Despite interest from several underground house imprints, however, this rare, and sought after release was destined to surface on white label only, sunk by licensing issues.
These difficulties with sample clearance prompted a rethink and a subsequent decision to return to his song writing roots and focus on 100% original material. With this in mind, he set to work on his latest single, Pray For Love, using vocals he recorded several years back in New York to great effect. With a new bassline and backing track, Pray For Love soon caught the attentions of several UK house labels.
Pray For Love is due for release on Defected Records on the 11th September 2006.
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